Polychlorinated biphenyis in Beijing soil of China

The concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls （PCBs） have been determined in soils collected in Beijing of China. According to Principle Component Analysis （PCA） of PCBs, the possible sources were studied. Relationship between PCBs and soil organic materials revealed that higher chlorinated PCBs are more inclined to be adsorbed by particles rich of organic materials. But the low chlorinated homologues are dominant in Beijing soils, which is very different from the foreign studies. It was concluded that the application of relatively low chlorinated commercial PCBs in China was the main reason leading to this homologue composition character. Besides, the relatively short pollution history is also one of the main reasons. PCA of PCBs data in Beijing soil and atmospheric deposition samples revealed that some other emission sources such as atmospheric deposition, automobile exhaust; chemical and petrochemical industry and steel industry may be the important reasons of elevated PCBs concentrations in Beijing soil